


Your Wife is Here

by TooYoungToFeelThisTired



Series: What if? [4]
Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternative Timeline, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, F/M, Feelings Realization, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Hinted feelings, Misunderstandings, No Incest, Pseudo-Incest
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-20
Updated: 2019-04-24
Packaged: 2020-01-22 23:28:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,590
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18537649
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TooYoungToFeelThisTired/pseuds/TooYoungToFeelThisTired
Summary: Everyone sort of assumes Vanya is Five’s wife. Vanya/Five,





	1. Your Wife is Here

Five was buried in work breathing in the smell of chalk as his hand was starting to hurt from how firmly he had set it. He was working for most of the day writing down his new discovery and trying to find a pattern he was clearly missing.

Five briefly heard Bob, his colleague who he shared the office with for the last two years, ask something, but he was tuned out by his own thoughts.

When the window cracked, signalling it was opened, Five's mind for a second assumed Bob asked Donna, their shared assistant, to open it.

_Some fresh air might do them good._

It was his last thought before he was focused on his research again. He had been working for the university for over four years. He hadn't even finish school when the dean approached him asking him if he would be interested. Since all of his siblings stayed in the city, it made sense he would as well. Also he didn't completely hate the place, and he thought it would be more subduable to deal with people he already knew than learn to handle new ones.

After their time travelling back, Vanya learning control, and them spending more time trying to deal and fix their family, they turned out better than he could hoped. They somewhat survived another childhood with Sir Reginald and then moment they hit eighteen got the fuck out of that shit show staying together for a couple of months before they all individual found living arrangements which gave them both independence, but closeness they needed. They remained to have weekly dinners, lunches or just family meetings staying in touch as much as their lives outside of their family allowed them to.

Five was buried in work at the moment trying to finish because he knew he told Vanya that he would have lunch with her that day. He forgot of course, but it was the first thing Donna told him when he came this morning before he finished his coffee and got to his work again.

He thought he heard Donna's voice again telling him something, but he ignored not hearing the words. Luckily, his assistant knew him well since after a little while had passed, Five heard the worst sound imaginable coming from red painted nails on the blackboard next to the one he was writing at.

He clenching his jaw and dropped the chalk in the process as he tried to cover his ear.

His assistant gave him a sweet smile and offered his jacket, 'Your wife is here. You promised to take her to lunch.'

Sometimes Donna painfully too much reminded him of Dolores. Since he returned her home to her mall, he avoided the place like an illness, not ready to see her again after their goodbyes. That didn't stop him from sending Klaus or Luther occasionally over to checkup on her and report back. Both were surprisingly understanding and polite about it. Even if Klaus sometimes asked if she was free now, if he could have a shot earning a kick into the ankle from Five.

Five took his jacket groaning in the process and walking to the door before he stopped in track.

_Who?_

He went back in and looked at Donna as she was already walking back to her desk, 'Wait, whose wife?'

The redhead blinked at him with an amused smile, ' _Your wife_.'

'My wife?' asked Five slowly, and the woman nodded _duh_ , 'Your wife.'

Five blinked slowly as if his brain crashed and wouldn't reboot, 'Wife?'

'Vanya,' offered Donna as if she saw his struggles looking at him now like he was demented.

'My wife...Vanya,' he said absolutely lost from those three words used in one sentence by _him._

'Yes, your wife. Nancy from the front desk called that she's downstairs already,' explained Donna giving him a look like he was mad.

He nodded, his brain still failing to function before he wanted to ask, _why_ she assumed Vanya was his wife, when Bob showed up in the door. Five didn't even notice he was gone until now.

'Oh, your wife is downstairs,' said Bob cheerfully before he stepped around him and got to his desk.

_Not you too._

'Why-?'

'Shouldn't keep her waiting too long, I saw the dean going her way, and he can talk for hours,' said his colleague before he put his nose into his computer tuning Five and his bewild expression out.

Five looked at Donna, who raised her brows, 'Yes?'

'Why do you think she's my wife?' asked Five finally because his mind couldn't really wrap itself around the ridiculous idea.

'Well, she has the same surname as you and you bring her to every event as your plus one,' said Donna not understanding whatever game he was playing, 'She comes pick you up if you're working too late and constantly calls you to remind you to eat. Not to mention those notes she left you in the lunch last week.'

Five felt flushed. Seriously, he didn't know what to say to all that, so he just nodded and left the office all together.

_WIFE?_

This was very surreal for Five to be completely honest. He tried to go back to the times he first brought Vanya over for a Christmas party. He didn't want to go at all. He much rather had spent it at home working on his latest thesis, but one of his fellow co-workers stopped him when he was leaving for lunch with Vanya one day and asked him and her specifically if they would come. He remembered he introduced her to a lot of people at the party, but he couldn't recall if he actually used the word _sister_ in the process. If he honestly never pointed out that she was a sister, and they shared a same surname it was fair to assume that they were married. It wasn't like they were biological siblings to look alike.

He walked down the stairs to the front desk, where he spotted Vanya in a pair of jeans and a bluish jacket, her hair down today. The dean was boring her in his conversations as he often did to people, but Vanya looked like she was very much interested. Always so polite and in rush to please people. Some things didn't change even in the new timeline.

He saw the moment, she finally noticed him, her eyes shifted ever so slightly and her smile grew a bit wider. Yes, some things didn't change at all.

She obviously took the opportunity to tell the dean that he had arrived as he started to walk to them. The man finally must have taken the hint and went to leave to Five's direction. He really could talk for hours.

As he was passing him they greeted each other and he took a moment to mumbled, 'What a lovely wife you have, Professor Hargreeves.'

_Seriously, even you?_

Five gave him a confused look as the man walked away. He didn't have time to correct him before he was in front of Vanya, 'Ready to go?'

The dean confused him even more than Donna and Bob, because unlike them, he told the dean on a few occasions he had siblings. He even met Ben at a university event and clearly _saw_ that they weren't blood related. Yet, he still assumed Vanya was his wife, not sister.

'Of course,' he said. He didn't want to discuss the foolishness in front of her, so she wouldn't get embarrassed and worried over nothing like she usually did. Despite the newly gathered confidence of the new time line, she was still Vanya.

'I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long.'

'Not at all,' she said with the smile never leaving her face even though he knew he must have kept her waiting at least fifteen minutes with his constant stopping in the doorway.

'Oh, you have a bit of-,' she said and pointed at something on his face, '-chalk.'

He groaned a bit annoyed as he went to brush it off, but she grabbed his wrist and showed him his fingers still covered in the white powder.

She pulled out a hanky from her pocket immediately pressing it against his chin and brushing whatever was there out before she cleaned his fingers her hand still on his wrist.

'All done.'

She offered him a smile before she turned around and started to walk. The gesture was so natural he wouldn't even spare a second thought if not for feeling that someone looking at him.

Five took a moment to look over at Nancy at the front desk, who just looked away from him with a small smile probably thinking they were an adorable couple or something.

He swallowed a bit realizing that maybe they were doing things like this a lot which give out a vibe that they were more than just siblings or friends, but he never really paid attention to those little things. If he was covered in chalk, she just helped him clean up. It wasn't a big deal, was it?

They walked to the nearby dinner, which was their usual spot for lunches if they had them together. Icarus was relatively close to the university, so they had lunches together quite often. Five didn't mind, in fact it was a bit nerve calming. After they came back to their past, he grew a habit of always checking up on Vanya. At first it was because of her disability to control her powers, but then it became a force of habit to always find the time to know how she was, even if it was not related to her powers.

They sat at their usual table. Over the years the waitress, Suzie, had it a bit reserved for them.

'So what will my favourite pair have today?' she asked with a smile, and it caused Five to pause. Could it be that she thought they were a couple as well? If Five really thought about she made a lot of hints about relationships, marriage, and kids over the past few years, always finishing her stories with _but I don't need to tell you two that_. Five never really thought much of it assuming it was just because she knew they weren't in relationships and didn't have kids but maybe she was hinting on the fact that she thought they were together.

They ordered their food, and in his thoughts he returned to Donna's words about why she thought they were married.

The surname was an honest mistake of course. He brought Vanya to most...okay, to all of the university events because she was the most presentable one from his siblings, who didn't drag extra attention to herself the way, Allison did, or didn't tend to disappear to read a book in the corner of the room the way Ben did. She also looked lovelier in dress or suit for that matter, than Ben did. Luther, Diego and Klaus were out of the question completely of course. If it was true that he never introduced her as his sister but simply as Vanya Hargreeves it would make sense that people would just jump to conclusion that she was his wife.

Donna mentioned Vanya often came to pick him up if he was working too late. True again, but only because they shared a same way home for the most part, so Vanya had to cross a street to be on school's campus and Five could then walk her home. It would get him not to get lost in his work and sleep in his office as another benefit. Also he felt much better when he could walk her knowing she got home safe. It was illogical, he knew so. Vanya could destroy anyone who would cross her path with the intention to harm her, but it was something he couldn't really control. He was always very protective of her, the fact that he let go of that protectiveness only for her to get manipulated by someone like Jenkins only added to his obsession the second time around. Now he always needed to know she got home save, requesting she called him once she was home, like he was some obsessive toxic boyfriend. He knew it was questionable behaviour, but he just needed to know she was okay, so he didn't care how it might look.

The calls about his eating and if he wasn't working too hard, that was all on Vanya. If she couldn't come for lunch because she was too busy herself or if she wasn't working that day, she would call him several times like a needy girlfriend herself demanding for him to let go of his work for fifteen minutes to get eat something. It wasn't much demanding as asking him nicely. He was a _sucker_ for her asking something from him nicely, and she knew it. This started to happen the first time she came to get him to go to lunch, before he had Donna to tell him she came, and was confronted with his office being a complete mess filled with a distinguish smell of a room which didn't had an open window for days. Vanya immediately told him she would have none of that opened the window and forced him to go to the dinner which became their usual spot. He didn't confessed to her that he didn't ever realize he spent two days in that office without food or new clothes, but judging by how persuasive she got to get him to eat every day and take time off, she must have known.

Then there were the lunch notes. This was because a pipe broke in his apartment last week and he was forced to move to Vanya's couch until his landlord would have it fixed. Due to Vanya having extra days off, she wouldn't come to lunch with him. Since she was worried he wouldn't go by himself, she cooked and packed him lunch leaving a note for him every day. It wasn't anything romantic or dirty as Donna and Bob joked on his behalf when they found out. The notes were just quotes. Quotes from his favourite books, but without the correct title or author so he also could think a bit and guess which book it was. He found the little quiz game a nice break activity when he wasn't working and of course the whole idea charming causing that he couldn't eat without a smile spread across his face.

Alright now after a further research he had to admit maybe there were a lot of reasons why people thought Vanya and him were married. They certainly acted like people who cared about each other. They spent a lot of times together. There were physical touches above the standard platonic line too.

_Your wife, Vanya._

'What's with the smile?' asked Vanya at one point during the lunch as he got lost in thoughts.

'What smile?' he asked blinked before he realized he really was smiling. His cheeks even hurt a bit. Was he smiling this whole time?

She titled her head at him and raised her brows, 'The one you had all day. Something good happened today? Did you have a breakthrough?'

He shook his head. He wished he did.

He told her a bit about what he did that day and then listened to her day. It was strange, but he realized he was smiling at the thought of them being married. It wasn't funny. It was a bit troublesome at first, but it did make him smile now. The whole idea was a bit cute really. He tried to picture himself to have a wife like Vanya. Not much would have changed really. They would still live their lives as now, but instead of saying goodbyes in front of her apartment, they would be saying goodnights before bed. Oh right, there would be definitely more physical contact if they would be married...touches, kisses, intimacy. Those were usually things which made him feel unsettle a bit. Things he didn't have the first time growing up and living in the wasteland all alone. With Vanya however, someone he knew and trusted completely. It didn't sound so scary though.

Five briefly thought about telling her, maybe it would make her smile as well brightening her day a bit, but at the last minute he thought against it.

'Just...I'm just glad to be with you today,' he shrugged his shoulders hoping to sound nonchalant.

Maybe he could tell her later for now he just liked to keep the thought to himself. Just so that he could enjoy it freely without having to overthink it more and worry about what it could mean or what he should do about it. Just to enjoy a fantasy of Vanya being his wife and what would it be like. Yes, a nice thought, a fantasy, maybe a possibility...

She smiled at him. She grew much more comfortable with her smiles this time around, and he was utterly grateful for that.

Suzie brought their check.

'Ah, you young married couples are so adorable,' she said with a sigh.

'What?' asked Vanya startled her face going from calm and pale to surprised and red in the matter of seconds.

Well, so much for having a nice peaceful moment with the idea by himself.

'Yeaaah,' started Five as the waitress left, 'about that...'


	2. I'm Your Wife

Vanya was left almost shell-shocked sitting in the dinner as Suzie left their table after the bomb she just threw over them. Usually she would at least try to argue a bit with Five that she would pay, he never let her anyway, but it helped her pride to at least try. Today, she was too shocked to even notice that he put the bills on the table.

'There might be a few people in our lives, who assume by some reasons and indications, that you're my...wife,' he said looking a bit uncomfortable or nervous, she couldn't really tell because her brain wasn't working correctly in the moment.

'Your wife,' she repeated like the two words were suddenly foreign to her and not a part of English vocabulary.

'My wife,' he said again slower seeing probably how shocked she was to the point her brain was giving up on working properly.

'I'm your wife,' said Vanya coming to terms with what he was saying or maybe not at all.

'You're my wife.'

'I'm your wife?' she asked now trying to sort her thoughts. She came to work in the morning. They had a couple of rehearsals. Their leader was a dick to the cello girl, Patty, then she came to Five's university, she chat with Nancy at the front desk, and said hello to Bob before the dean caught her and engaged her in a conversation about how great job Five was doing and their newly opened school library, then they came here, ate and then Suzie said they were _married_.

_Married. Wife._

_Married? WIFE?_

She felt lost in that moment more than ever. She felt... she didn't know. How does one feel when someone assumes your bother is your husband? Does that happen to people a lot? Vanya was confused...she was shocked. She didn't know what she was more. She couldn't tell.

'That's what they assume,' said Five breaking her train of thoughts.

'So-but if I'm your wife...God, no, I mean if they _think_ I'm your wife, then we're...,' she raised her finger and pointed to herself and then him and then back to herself.

'Married,' he finished for her.

'Married,' she repeated once more.

'Yes,' he assured her.

'We're married,' she said her thoughts still running wild about what was going on.

'Well, we're not actually married they just think we are.'

'They think we're married that I'm your...'

'Wife, yes.'

'I'm your wife?' she asked again.

'Yes. I mean no. I mean that is what they think,' he said looking like he got lost in the whole conversations just as she did. The whole situation was very surreal to Vanya. Back when she was still on her pills she felt less disoriented then she did now and that was saying something.

She closed her eyes before she asked, 'How many people think... _that_?'

'Well...at this point I'm almost sure everyone in my work, and in this dinner?' he offered, and Vanya felt even more shocked than before.

'Oh dear...so...a whole bunch of people just think that I'm your wife, that we're married, and a couple,' she said before shook her head, 'But we're...we're siblings, family.'

'Yes, but because I think I never said that you're my sister and we have the same surname, they just assumed,' explained Five, not looking very apologizing about the fact that it might be his fault, just a bit annoyed or better yet confused about something. He had that face he usually did when he was analyzing something, and right now she was sure she was the one who was being analyzed like his new research project.

She frowned a bit upset with the idea. She hated when he looked at her like that. It was like he didn't really see her as a person, but just as something he wanted to know everything about, like a means to new knowledge.

'How long did you know?'

Five finally loosened the scientist in a lab look before he spoke, 'Today, about fifteen minutes before I came down to you. I didn't know how to bring it up. It seemed awkward and I was hoping to avoid your reaction and stressing you out.'

Vanya quickly shook her head trying but knowing she was failing at making it seem like she was okay with the whole ordeal, 'I'm not stressed out. Why would I be stressed out? Everyone thinks I'm married to by brother-'

'Adopted brother, and they don't know we're siblings,' he offered her some condolences. It fell flat given how rapidly her heart was beating and how she felt herself getting confused by her anxiety little by little. She needed to go somewhere and meditate for a while before she would lose herself.

If Five notice the clouds which suddenly started to form outside, he didn't comment on it, and she felt utterly grateful.

'Do you want to go home?' he asked as they started to walk outside. 'You looked...shaken.'

'No, I have work, and no,' she said before she shook her head about three times still not fully over the shock.

_Your wife_

Someone, well a lot of people by the looks of it, assumed she was Five's wife, that they were married, just like that. She didn't really know what to think about it, but she had to go to work, so she didn't have time to discuss it with him.

'Are you sure you're...okay?'

'Yes,' she replied far too quickly for it to be true. Also was there anything to discuss? People thinking they were married wasn't _their_ problem. Just because someone made a mistake it wasn't like the end of the world _again_ or something to be dealt with. Next time she would just correct anyone or Five would, and it would be fine. That was what people did in situations like that. They corrected the other people.

'It's nothing. I will see you after work,' she said and stepped closer to him as he did to her probably on instinct, and she kissed him on the cheek before she took a quick dramatic step back with confusion and shock all over her face flushed face as well as Five's.

_Why did she do that him?_

'I will go,' she said and hurried across the street to Icarus feeling her face on fire.

_Why the hell did she kiss him?_

She got inside the building just in time for the rain to start falling knowing Five would probably get soaked now. It made her feel worse.

Checking her watch, she realized she had about five minutes left before she would have to be at a rehearsal so she quickly rushed to the bathroom. Luckily for her, it was empty.

She put down the cover and sat down on it, focusing on her breathing and calming herself down in meditation technique she was thought by Five when he first started to help her control her powers, after he got them back to the past. It was all about breathing and changing to course of her thoughts to detach herself from a situation which made her emotions run wild in the first place.

Yes, situation, like finding out people thought she was Five's wife.

Once she calmed herself enough to leave, she got to the stage just in time before their leader would start. The man couldn't help himself but to comment on her delay. Any other day, that would cause her to spiral a bit and feel bad about it, but right now, she had too many other emotions to deal with to have room for his guilt.

Despite music being everything for her, she felt very reckless and not in synch with her violin right now. She hated that she was ruining it for the whole orchestra, but fortunately or unfortunately, she wasn't the only one, and their leader called for a ten minutes break because he quote _couldn't deal with them any longer_.

Vanya usually stayed inside the building if there was a short break either talking to one of her co-workers who stayed in as well, or just looking over her music sheets.

Today, however, she went outside along with Helena and John who went to smoke. She purposely stepped away from them so she wouldn't get the disgusting smell on her clothes and with the fresh air from raining a couple of moments ago Vanya processed what happened in the dinner.

She supposed now it made a bit more sense, when the dean of Five's university told her, she should be very proud of his achievements. She assumed he meant she should be proud as a relative, but now it was obvious, he meant to be proud as a wife of someone so clever and who managed to achieve so much in such a short while. It wasn't much of a surprise. Five had a brilliant mind, which could work wonders getting him to places and finishing projects like no one else. Still, he could be a bit hard to deal with when he was working, which was why she was so glad she found Donna for him.

Thinking of Donna, made Vanya realize that she as well must have thought Five was her husband as during the first few days, when Five went full on prick on the young woman, she said she would be quitting and stormed out, only for Vanya to chase her down the stairs and explain Five's theatrics and how he often got when he worked too much. She knew even then that Donna would be a perfect assistant for him, and she really didn't want to let her go.

Donna agreed telling Vanya, that she didn't understand how she could deal with someone like Five 24/7. Vanya assumed she meant to deal with a sibling like him, but now she wondered if she didn't mean as a spouse.

As she was looking at the now clear sky, just as Helena and John were finishing their smoke, and it was time to leave, she remembered the rest of the story with Donna and let out a startled and embarrassed gasp.

'What?' asked John confused as Vanya put a hand against her mouth feeling her face was definitely red as a tomato now from how she was burning all over it.

When Donna told her she didn't understand how she could deal with someone like Five 24/7, Vanya just gave her an awkward chuckle and said, ' _Well, because I love him._ '

She uncovered her mouth and walked with Helena into the building as the other woman tried to get her to tell what was wrong with her.

_Oh, nothing's wrong. You know just every day things like: I just told my husband's assistant that I love him...I mean...NO! I told my brother's assistant that I love him and she thinks I'm his wife now! Ugh!_

Vanya felt like she needed another break after this realization at her original break.

She sat down on her chair played her part but all she kept thinking about was to leave, go home, hide under a blanket and call in sick the next day.

She couldn't really imagine how she got into such a situation or how to untangle herself from it. Five was her brother, well, sort of? If she was actually going further into the whole understanding of family and siblings. Yes, they were family and they called each other siblings, but to be a family you didn't necessary have to be the typical _family_ by definition. The Hargreeves certainly weren't. They weren't family because of being adopted by the same terrible man who ruined their lives, but because they grew up caring for one another, at least the second time around, enough to create a family. Sibling was just another word they used, but it didn't hold the meaning it did for normal people. She supposed they just got used to it as Hargreeves, Pogo and Grace called them that, but the correct English dictionary definition didn't sit right with them as _siblings_. Vanya supposed that even with that they were just people, sometime strangers, who decided to form a family, sort of the way friends sometimes did. So even if they were sibling, they weren't really- _Jesus Christ_ , was she really now making a case why would it be okay for her and Five to be mistaken as wife and husband.

She needed a drink, a shot, some scotch.

She packed her violin and bow knowing the leader was beyond grateful the practice was over by the looks of it, and hurried outside. Usually, her steps would lead her to the university campus where she would wait for Five to finish and walk her home. It was something they did almost every day for over four years now. Since Five now grew up with them, they had many little traditions and rituals. They also spent a lot more time together. They were always close of course, Vanya liked to think that they fit each other more than the rest which made it easy for them to stay in each other's presence even for a long time or every day. She actually enjoyed co-existing with Five, even living with him for a brief moment when his pipe broke in his apartment. They were good together that way. They could live in one space without fights, or pressure or robbing each other of their identity and independence while giving each other some closeness. This was something she doubted they would get from living with other siblings. They listened to each other, but didn't meddle the way for example Allison did. They didn't have the need to fight just for the sake of some adrenaline release the way Diego would. Despite their own weirdness they didn't have the same level of theatrics on the border line of madness as Klaus. Vanya couldn't imagine feeling comfortable enough to live side by side with someone like Luther. As for Ben, she would have a feeling they would start to detach themselves from each other after a while if they lived together in such way. Not with Five though. They fit each other well.

Today, she felt unsure for maybe a second before she check both ways and crossed the street. She couldn't deal with such a thing now. She didn't know if there was something to deal with in the first place. Five didn't look too bothered by the whole thing. But she knew she couldn't deal with it now. She had to get over it, sooner or later, and frankly from the looks of it, she was voting for later.

She walked into Five's office, Nancy from the front desk, already went home as well as most of the staff on Five's floor. By now she knew almost everyone by their first name and they knew her. She was _professor's Hargreeves's wife_ after all. How could she miss all those hints before?

Vanya found Five, _her husband,_ in front of his large blackboard covered in formulas and mathematical terms which were too advance for her to understand.

Donna was just about to leave. She was nicely putting things into her bag when she looked up at her and smiled at her.

She finished and got up. They both met in the doorway. Donna purposely lowered her voice probably knowing Five couldn't hear her when he was in his _zone_. 'Good thing you came. He was a mess today.'

'Oh,' said Vanya unsure what that meant before Donna filled in, 'It was like his head was all over the place.'

She touched her arm at one point looking a bit concerned, 'Everything okay at home?'

It was a bit funny, if Vanya wanted it to be. Until this lunch, Vanya would have assumed it was a harmless question given to her as Five's family about his well being, now she knew that it was meant as a question about their personal _marriage_ life.

She shook her head, 'Just minor bumps on the road. Don't sweat it.'

Donna took the answer and nodded before they shared their goodbyes. As she was gone, Vanya realized she didn't correct her about the whole _wife_ thing, and neither did she correct Suzie at the dinner, although in her defence she was too shocked with Suzie.

Vanya remained in the doorway for a second longer before she walked inside and lightly tapped Five's shoulder. With how quickly he spun around, it was obvious he was caught up in his work again not noticing her arrival. Some things never changed.

She offered him a small smile at that and nodded at the blackboard, 'I'm giving you five minutes to finish up. Then we're going _home_.'

He watched her for a moment looking a bit stunned as she realized she said _home_ as if they lived together. Well, she didn't say it like _that_ , but it felt like she implied it anyway. She didn't correct herself either.

Five suddenly blinked and looked at his work before he set the chalk down, 'I'm ready. Let's go home.'

He smiled back at her and somehow Vanya realized that there were reasons why the both of them didn't correct people that they weren't married, or why they made the word _home_ sound like that.

She looked away for a moment trying to fight the smile. She couldn't.

'How about dinner?' she asked feeling a bit silly from all the smiling like an idiot, but Five didn't seem to mind.

'Only if I'm cooking,' he smirked and already started to take her violin case from her to carry it. She gave it without a second thought. He was the only person, she ever trusted to carry it for her.

'I'm not a bad cook,' she defended herself automatically. She knew it was a joke in good nature. He would never intentionally say something to hurt her. She witnessed him bite someone with his comments plenty of times, never her though.

'Of course _not_ ,' he said sarcastically, and Vanya gasped dramatically pretending to be offended before she went to show him, but he easily caught her hand in the process.

'I'm not a bad cook,' she repeated herself as she looked into his green eyes sparkling with amusement, but also with something else. Something she had a feeling she would see in her own eyes if she could look at herself now. Something which made her feel warm and nervous but in a good way, a very good way, which she realized she must have felt all along, but never accepted could mean anything.

His hand was still on her wrist when he lowered it down between them.

Five's smirk was the type which could make a person either want to punch him or kiss him when he said, 'Yes, dear.'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A.N: One-shot, that was what I told myself this would be and then you had to go and be so fucking amazing about the story and I just...well, this chapter happened :D So I hope you will like it as well :D But this is the last one. I think... :D Thank you for all the support of this story because I really liked writing it :)


	3. We're Home

_It should have been awkward._

After Five took her violin case and they agreed to go to his place for dinner, they did their usual thing. They walked and talked about their days. He mentioned how he was close to a breakthrough, but he was still missing a couple of days to get there. On the contrary, Vanya told him about how upset her leader was with the cello girl and then the rest of them today for being sloppy. He couldn't imagine someone like Vanya who practiced several hours every day to be sloppy, but he knew their leader was a bit of a dick.

The walk to his place was nice. It was one of those spring days which weren't too cold or warm making it a pleasant experience to have an evening walk. They lived a street apart from each other about half an hour walk from their works. If he didn't hesitate the first time he got the position in the university, he would even be living in Vanya's building but the place was taken by the time, he made up his mind.

At his apartment, they met his janitor who lightly asked him about the fixed pipes and then winked at him as Vanya's back was to him hinting something about having _a good night._

Five paused. How many people did assume something was going on between them? Did he really never introduce her as a sister? Did he ever introduce his siblings as siblings? Yes, he did, he apparently just didn't do it in Vanya's case.

The morning confusion and worry about how she would take the whole idea passed as she came to him this evening. If she was still up for spending time with him, it was good sign.

It meant she overcame the initial shock and didn't let her anxiety try and push him away. He couldn't even express how happy he was for that. He needed at least ten more minutes of work, but he was so overwhelmed with the fact that she actually came, he decided to finish it tomorrow worried she would see his rejection of her idea to go home together as him trying to push her away. God, that was a scary thought. He would never push her away. In the new time line, living with her in the house for years and now like this, he grew too attached to her, her presence, her existence in his life. She was essential for his life now like breathing.

He couldn't imagine them not being together. Until today, the fear was only based on platonic ideas, but after today, he started to wonder about more...

_Your wife_

At the apartment, Vanya immediately put down her jacket on the hanger and went to wash her hands acting like she was home. _Home._ When she said those words it sounded different. Maybe if she said it yesterday or a week, month, year ago he would just assume she meant each of them walking together and then going their separate ways, but not after today. Today, it also didn't sound like she just meant for them to split up afterwards. Today, she made it sound like it was more. Like it meant more.

He couldn't even process what the mere thought of something like that did to him. Ridiculous.

How could he have gone every day for _years_ not thinking about even a possibility of something like that with her and now thinking about it nonstop? Mind was a very strange place and heart was a very bizarre thing apparently.

Five watched as Vanya moved around his apartment like she did every day before she asked what they would cook.

'Pasta,' he said immediately and went to wash his hands and help her. The joke about her bad cooking was meant in good nature. They both knew she wasn't the worst cook, she just had a tendency to avoid cooking as an activity which was too time consuming and ate half-made or pre-cooked food which he frowned upon.

As he didn't time travelled to the wasteland the second time, he grew up to be very judgy about food and good food, trying to give himself all which was taken or neglected when he had to scavenge for something to eat. This caused that even if he was just by himself at home, he wanted a decent meal so he slowly learned how to cook. Based on how often Klaus, Ben or Vanya stopped by for dinner, he wasn't half bad either.

They moved around the kitchen in a synch as usual. Giving each other what they needed while still keeping their spaces and letting the other walk around without feeling threatened or in alert.

Vanya was probably the only one he ever felt like that. It was ironic really. She caused the apocalypse not once but twice since the first time he found only his siblings lying around dead, she was incredibly dangerous and deadly, and yet, he didn't fear her. He was trained as a killer and lived alone for decades in a hostile world which gave him nothing for free, even now when he was more or less turned into a domestic beast, he was still a beast in his core suspicious of everyone and on his toes whenever someone got too close. Even people he knew posed a threat. But Vanya? No, not his Vanya. Vanya never made him question her intentions, she never caused him to be precautions, not wanting to turn his back to her. Even when her powers were out of control, and she had to train harder than any of them to learn, he always showed her trust and ease like he subconsciously didn't recognize her as treat just as _Vanya_.

_It should have been awkward._

It should have been awkward to be together after they discovered that all his co-workers and people who knew them thought she was his wife, and they were married.

_But it wasn't._

Not even when she said her hair was falling to her eyes and he grabbed a hair tie because of course he had a hair tie since she was here so often and started to gather her wavy brown hair which smelled like honey into a ponytail. Not even then it got awkward or weird. It was just normal for them.

He put his hand on her back, 'Better?'

'Much, thank you,' she rewarded him with one of her sweet smiles before they continued.

Was it really like this? Natural, not even a bit weird, or awkward, or intense?

Whenever Five used to think about having someone in his life the way the rest of his siblings had, he grew anxious. The hair on the back of his neck would stand up in defence. He wasn't ready for such things. He wasn't comfortable with such things coming from a stranger. Even if Allison tried to set him up on a couple of dates, it only resulted in him being too guarded and ending the date if it was possible to call it that, all too soon. He felt like he was at a small room interrogation room being judged and manipulated even if they were all probably nice women, just not the kind of him.

'Is it ready?' asked Vanya offering him the spoon to taste the sauce.

He stepped closer to her and put his hand on her delicate waist and the other on her elbow to make sure he wouldn't get the sauce on his clothes.

'Yeah, it's good,' he said after he had a bit, licking his lips. He let his hand lightly brush her waist for a second longer before he stepped away from her. It didn't feel bad to touch Vanya. It felt normal, natural even.

She was looking at him now, one hand still under the spoon to make sure she wouldn't get any sauce on his floor, but it was obvious she was looking at him because of the touch.

When she kissed him today on the cheek, the spot burned a bit, but it wasn't unpleasant at all. It just surprised him that she did considering how conflicted she looked about the whole ordeal, but now she appeared to be absolutely at ease with the idea.

He was grateful for that, but he could also see she was a bit curious just as him. She was waiting to see what would happen next.

They started to eat talking a bit about this and that nothing important, and Five was a bit happy for that because he wasn't sure how to bring up the topic, or he should. Maybe they just had to let this all have run its course, see where it will lead them although from the looks of it, it was obvious even if they started something there wouldn't be any dramatic changes in their lives. They would do the same things they always did plus more touching. Five could get use to that.

'Do you want a drink?' he asked they finished the food and now just lazily talked with him spread over the whole kitchen chair and Vanya losing the hair tie and one leg pressed next to her chest on her chair.

She nodded, and he got up.

Since his last promotion, he got a bottle of scotch. He wanted to give it to her at one point, but she suggested it would be better if he kept it and always had something to offer her if she showed up. It wasn't a bad idea.

Five hadn't drank at all in the new time line since one very lonely night where his memories got the best of him, and he woke up in Vanya's bed to her worried and tired eyes and Allison's disapproving look as she told him how he almost chocked on his own vomit, but Vanya and Diego took care of him and even cleaned the mass. Somehow seeing how tired she looked was enough to let him try go straight. It wasn't so bad as he and Klaus supported each other through it. He even thought if it wasn't for the both of them trying to get sober, they would probably fail.

He poured her a glass as she got up from the table and went to his couch. He turned on the TV sitting down next to her. If she noticed he purposely left as little space as possible between them, she didn't comment.

They talked about seeing _the Quiet Place_ for a while now. He wasn't a fan of horrors the way Diego and Klaus were, but he liked to watch variety of different movies. He didn't find the movie all that appealing to be completely honest. But it could have been because nothing seemed more interesting than the warm which was coming from Vanya's shoulder close to his.

Five listened to her softly drinking the content of her glass before she set it down on the arm of the couch. He liked that she was this open in his apartment. If he thought about it, Vanya was always very reserved. Even after their second time growing up, she still kept a strict way, she acted around other people like she had to watch herself, and like she wasn't really welcomed to be with them. He noticed and didn't like it, but he couldn't force her to get more comfortable if she wasn't. Still, he noticed that she was more than comfy inside his apartment, and it made him smile to know this, to know she was comfortable to be in his presence even after today.

_Your wife_

She looked so startled by the idea, he was so worried she would run away from it completely. It took some convincing for him not to follow her after she ran and demand they talk, even if he wasn't sure how to bring it up. He was like a lion let out of a cage for the rest of the day annoying both Donna and Bob, who decided to leave early.

His eyes were focused on the screen, but he still sensed her as she leaned against the back of the couch and pressed her head closer to his shoulder almost lying it down on him.

'Do you want to maybe stay the night?' he asked. Sometimes it was ease to voice what he wanted in the dark.

'No, we can just finish the movie and I will go,' she said, and he understood. If he felt a little bit disappointed that was on him, but he understood that even despite them seeing that this was something nice and maybe even something which could work, they needed their alone time, their space. He would never dare to take that from her or force something on her.

_Your wife, Vanya_

The next moment when he opened his eyes, he found himself lying in Vanya's lap as she was slowly stroking his hair in nice calming moves.

He blinked chasing the sleep away, 'Oh, sorry.'

He got up immediately missing her fingers in his hair as he realized he must have fallen asleep against her shoulder or something, and she being the amazing person she was decided to serve as his personal pillow.

She gave him a caring smile, 'It's alright. You're cute when you're asleep.'

He grimaced at that but seeing her smile made him pull one as well. It was impossible not to.

Vanya raised her hand and let her fingers once again run through his hair probably fixing it after sleeping like that, 'I should go though. I don't have any clean clothes here.'

'Of course, again, I'm sorry,' he said, but didn't stand up enjoying her fingers a few extra seconds longer. He didn't mind Vanya's touches one bit.

She hummed and let her hand brush the back of his head before she stood up. He quickly followed her noticing, she even washed and put away the dishes. He must have been more tired than he assumed. She really was too good to him.

'The movie wasn't very good,' she said as if an explanation to the dishes as they left his apartment, and he walked her home.

They still haven't spoken about the whole _wife_ situation, but somehow Five didn't really want to. He didn't want to force anything. Couldn't they just let it run its course? It was clear they already were comfortable enough with each other, maybe they could just let things happen on their own without the stress of overdoing it or over thinking about it? Just nice and light and ease.

They stopped in front of her apartment on the street. It was late, and they both needed to sleep for tomorrow.

Vanya smiled at him with that smile of hers, which made him realize it was loving just before she put her arms around his middle and hugged him.

He instantly pulled her closer hugging her back and pressing his chin against the top of her head. He grew a bit taller this time around since he was better fed and had better live style, but then again Vanya was always short and petite, even when they were thirteen he was taller than her.

Once he hugged her, he realized it was a mistake to do so because the moment he had his arms around her, he didn't want to let her go, ever. He got addictive to her warm and touch, and he wanted to keep her in his arms through the night, and the next, and next...

'How about you took some clothes and come back to my...and come back _home?_ ' he asked before he could stop himself realizing he didn't really want to stop himself in the first place. He didn't mind bringing it up if it meant there was a chance she would say yes and come.

He felt her let out a relieved breath against his chest, 'Oh, good, I was worried it was just me who felt this way. '

He pulled away enough to look at her and smiled down at her brushing the side of her face, 'No. Not at all. Let's go.'

She giggled a bit at that his eagerness as he took her hand and led her to her apartment pulling out his own spare key of her place and unlocking it leading her inside. He felt like he was a teenager again as he held her hand rushing her around like they were sneaking around.

Once they were in he couldn't help, but spun her a bit around as if they were dancing earning more giggles. In that moment, he wasn't so sure he didn't drink because he felt drunk on the simple fact that he was with her and he was happy.

'Pack for tonight. We will take more things tomorrow,' he said in a bit of a commanding voice which she immediately picked up upon.

'Oh really? Why not stay in my place?' she asked crossing her arms for a momentary fake defiance.

'My place is bigger,' he said, and she laughed already heading to her bedroom, 'Control freak.'

He followed her, 'Or let's stay here. I don't care.'

She thought about it for a second, 'Your place is really bigger.'

Five watched her as she took a pair of new clothes for tomorrow, before she rushed the bathroom and took some things from there.

They were really doing this, weren't they? Just like that. All of the sudden.

_Your wife_

Five suddenly found himself running toward her in the bathroom, 'Let's find a new place.'

'New place?' she asked as she grabbed her toothbrush.

'Yeah, not yours, not mine just...ours.'

Vanya stopped with the toothbrush between her fingers probably now realizing as well that they were _really_ doing this. He felt his heart somewhere in his throat as the worst doubt creeped its way into his head wondering if she wouldn't change her mind now, or think this was insane or too much or anything really.

Suddenly she smiled at the brush and looked up at him, 'I don't care. My place, your place. I don't care as long as we're together...I'm home. You're my home.'

The smiled he returned to her couldn't possibly express all the relieve he felt in that moment.

'You're my home too, Vanya,' and the moment he said it, he knew with his whole being it was the truth.

She looked touched by his confession before she said lighting up the moment, 'Besides it wouldn't be logical for a husband and wife not to live together.'

'Of course, married couples live together,' he said playing along immediately as they walked out of the bathroom and Vanya packed the rest of her things into a bag.

'There would be rumours,' she said, 'People might assume something wasn't right in _home_.'

He nodded enthusiastically, 'Horrible. The things they would say about such an odd couple. A wife of a professor and living a street away from him.'

She grinned at him, 'A husband of a violinist and living a street away from her.'

He grabbed her back realizing he forgot her violin case at his apartment.

Five looked at her suspiciously, 'Did you know I left the violin at home?'

She shrugged her shoulder and leaned closer to him, 'Why taking it if I was just going to get some things?'

He watched her for a moment before he took her hand into his squeezing it a bit.

'Vanya, I...I mean _it_. I...want it.'

She watched him for a moment before she squeezed his hand back with the same force he did, her eyes never leaving his, 'Me too.'

'Let's go home,' he said looking at her as she was smiling and looking just as at peace and with love at him as he felt in that very moment.

'We already are home, Five,' she said hinting that as long as they were together they were home. Well, wasn't that a lovely thought?

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A.N: Yes, of course, I am going to write 2 more chapters because to hell with it -_- it being my ability not to write when you are all SO supportive and nice and say all those nice things about this story. I was literally forced to write this now. :) Well, to be fair I was just planning one more chapter, the final one, which will now be chapter 5. Anyway, OMG that you for the support it literally warmed my heart enough to make me write this chapter and expand the story a bit because you all are sooo aaaaah I can't even.
> 
> Thank you for reading this story. You guys really made my day :)


	4. Be My Wife

Vanya checked herself in the mirror one last time before she went to the door. She decided early on that she wouldn't butcher her feet with heels she didn't even know how to properly walk and wouldn't make her that high anyway, and stick with silver and black flats.

She picked those based on Allison's idea that she should wear the black dress, she gave her for her birthday. She hadn't wore it yet and with how slightly guilty she felt about not telling Allison who she was going to dinner with it seemed like a perfect choice. Well, not dinner, a date.

She knew they would have to tell their siblings at some point. They spent time with them and actually cared for one another unlike last time, but both of them just sort of agreed that they wanted to enjoy the _honeymoon_ period while it last because once their siblings would get into it, there would be no rest for the wicked. She loved them, but...they were still _family_. And apart from the trauma and destructive uprising they all had there was also the whole dynamic and their personal behaviour. They were just family. Everyone loved their families, but no one wanted them to meddle in their relationships.

There should be something strange about calling dinner with someone you share a bed with a date. If you live together and everyone thinks your his wife dinner at a restaurant shouldn't be really a date, it should be just a dinner between two people who are in a relationship.

And yet as Five put his hand on her cheek as he stepped out of the shower that morning whipping out the toothpaste from her face with his wet thumb like the was the most casual thing in the world and asked her for a date, she felt flushed like a schoolgirl and not a 2x adult who have pretty much been living and in a relationship with Five for what felt like ages now.

Funny, how that works.

Before the whole _wife_ thing, Vanya's brain didn't even caught on to the fact that all of those little things between them and what they did could be interpreted as something more than just siblings affection or friendship, now she couldn't help, but wonder if all those times they were doing things like that they weren't secrets signs of how much they cared for one another as humans, as lovers even.

Now they were living together and spending time together filled with kisses and touches and _touches,_ and all she could think about was that they could have been doing this from the start. It should feel strange to love Five someone who she grew up with and called brother like it meant something, but it didn't. It just felt like loving and caring for someone for possibly the first time ever because the moment they kissed it was like she was never kissed before. Like all those other kisses didn't matter in the great scheme of her and Five finally being together. To her absolute shock the moment, she woke up after their first night together with Five's arms around her and their fingers entwined, she realized she was never in love like this before. It was never so wonderful and adoring and nerves wrecking like this before. She never felt like she wanted to spend every minute with him even after she was already living with him, walking to and from work with him and even going to lunch with him. She just felt greedily wanting more time with him, more him knowing from the possessive way he held her or how he kept on touching her every her all over all the time, he felt he same.

This was love, Vanya realized after she watched him sleep looking completely ravished from the previous night, yet peaceful and satisfied in his sleep. This was what real love was. When you felt like you couldn't breathe without the person and everything was so intense and yet _so soft_ you were worried it would break between your fingers like leaves of a butterfly.

_This is love._

As she walked outside her apartment, she rarely spent time over the past few weeks that she was in Five's, she couldn't help but subconsciously fixed her hair trying to hide the awful reddish mark on her neck as best as she could.

When she first noticed it the other morning, she flipped out a bit on Five, who looked more than amused enjoying every second as she tried to put some makeup over it only to realize the stupid hickey was still visible.

'What are we thirteen?' she demanded feeling embarrassed and frustrated, that she would have to go to work looking like a vampire without teeth tried to have some fun with her, as she feverishly tried to cover the red mark.

Five stepped behind her and hugged her, that traitor, knowing that would work on her, smoothing her anger, 'I didn't get to do that when we were thirteen.'

He pressed his lips against the shell of her ear making her giggle but also feel very hot all over, 'I'm making up for lost time.'

She rolled her eyes at that, but she couldn't hide the fact that she was enjoying the whole thing just as much as he was. And by thing she meant their relationship, not the hickey.

Five was waiting for her outside.

Despite telling him she would come to his apartment on her own, he always wanted to walk her everywhere. Even before they started this, Five liked to know her routines making sure she always had someone to walk with her never going anywhere alone. Usually, he himself took that role. It was ridiculous a little. He saw her end the world and knew that if she wanted she could tear up anyone who would even look at her funny. A feminist part of her she was growing during her second growing up was a little bit annoyed with such behaviour from him, but the whole rest of her thought it was kind of sweet in a way, that she knew he cared for her and felt like he could breathe easier if he knew she was safe. Five was always protective of her even when they were kids, real kids, when he came back, she was sure whatever connection they had was long lost between her loneliness and his life in the post-apocalypse world. However, once they all went back in time, it was like he grew even more attached and protective almost to the point of obsession. She noticed how he watched her now. Even before, it was like he always needed to know where she was constantly having his eyes on her. At first she was worried it was because he didn't trust her and her powers, but as she learned control it was clear it was just his way feeling and acting toward her. She accepted it, and in return made sure he was alright, always checking up on him if he wasn't working himself too hard or ignoring common needs because he was forgetting he was in the world which was safe and alive again. They took care of one another like that.

As she took the last step toward him he turned around his mouth open looking like he wanted to say something, but the moment his eyes fully took her in, he was left mouth open wide just looking at her like she stole his voice, or breath, or manners or the ability to properly think. She had to admit, she didn't mind such a reaction one bit.

'Thank you,' she said feeling a bit busted on the confidence.

He coughed a bit finding his voice, 'I didn't say anything.'

'Oh, it was implied by the doe caught in the car lights look,' she said smartly earning a chuckle and Five to shake his head. He didn't even look annoyed with her comment just smiled, 'You look... _beautiful_.'

She couldn't help the wide smile which pushed itself at her face, 'Thank you. You cleaned up nicely too.'

He offered her his arm, and she took it as they walked to the already waiting cab for them.

The restaurant looked lovely and the waiter was very polite talking to the both of them and advising them on the choice of desert. It was a nice affair as they talked and ate. It was definitely the nicest date Vanya ever had which was a bit sad come to think of it, but she didn't see it that way. Somehow even all the bad past experience were good for one thing. They made every second with Five all the more wonderful.

At one point, however, Vanya couldn't help, but noticed a woman by the table one place over looking at them and, she blinked confused.

'What?' asked Five and turned around as well before he let out a sigh and waved at the woman.

Vanya watched the woman, 'You know her?'

'The dean's wife,' he said sounding a bit annoyed, just as the woman in her maybe late sixties waved back and stood up walking to them, 'I thought you looked familiar, my dear.'

Vanya smiled now briefly remembering the woman from several events, 'Yes, hello, how are you?'

'Oh, excellent, we're just here for our forty-one year anniversary. We're so glad we're passed the previous year. We prefer the more private event. What about you two? Are we by any chance sharing the date?'

Vanya smiled at her and looked over at Five, who looked a bit strangely tense at the woman, 'Just dinner.'

'Ah, well, it's still nice to have time for dinners and dates even after you tie the knot. You can't let the spark fade, you know?' said the woman, and Vanya couldn't help but felt a bit cringy after those words.

The woman talked a bit about marriage in general, and Vanya could tell by Five's unimpressed face, he was moments from telling her to leave them.

'Perhaps, we could go on coffee sometimes,' said Vanya suddenly shutting the woman up. She practically threw herself to the wolves, but it was better than for Five to be the wolf and eat this woman alive.

'Maybe next week?' offered Vanya quickly so the woman would take the bait.

'Oh, well, sounds lovely,' she touched Five's arm, 'Your wife is adorable.'

She looked back at Vanya, 'We'll get in touch then and talk more. Enjoy your evening,' she said as goodbye as she left.

Five turned to look at Vanya, 'I'm not gonna lie. It was very bold of you, but also very stupid.'

'But I thought that was the Hargreeves' family motto,' she said pretending to be serious earning a chuckle from Five although she could see something was on his mind now.

Their evening afterwards was a bit silent one. Vanya couldn't help, but wonder what did dean's wife say which caused him to act like this. Maybe because she touched his arm? Five wasn't big on touches from strangers. Vanya witnessed more than once how quickly he could flinch from someone's touch. Never from her though. She was a bit hesitated when they first started to get physical with each other, but it was obvious Five was completely at ease and opened to any touch from her.

They went straight to his place afterwards, even though they spoke about taking a walk before they were interrupted. It was clear the air was a bit tense now.

Vanya easily got out of her dress and into her PJs. Neither of them felt for any late night activities after the dinner date, and Five's silent behaviour. She usually saw him like this when he got too much into his work and equations tuning the rest of the world out, but now he wasn't holding a chalk and writing, he was just slowly undressing himself giving her short answers whenever she asked something.

They laid down and both turned off the lights at each side. For a moment, it felt to Vanya as if they really were married, but instead of a happy couple they were after a fight knowing neither of them could leave because they were married and they had to stay in one bed.

But the thing was they weren't really married.

'Should I go to my place?' she asked softly into the dark. It didn't feel right to call it home. Her home was here with Five, but if he was like this she didn't feel like she was home honestly.

The bed immediately shifted as Five sat up looking started by the simple idea that she would leave. Well, him being worried about her leaving had to mean they were still good in some way, 'What?'

'You're acting strange. Did something happen?' she asked sitting up as well the only light coming from the partly open curtains of the bedroom window which was letting the moonlight in.

Five was silent for a moment, and Vanya couldn't help feeling like her heart was ready to jump out of her chest from the worry and anticipation of what he would say.

'I'm a bit scared,' confessed Five suddenly, 'No, not even scared just...I love you, and I guess, I got a bit overwhelmed when she started to talk about them having been together for so long and realized that I didn't say it yet.'

Vanya felt warm creep into her cheeks like she was a crushing teen, 'I love you too.'

She took his hand into hers, 'Is that what this was about? That you didn't say it yet? You know you didn't have to. You already said it in so many ways.' It was true. She felt the love in the way, he pulled her close into his embrace, pressing kisses into her hair, in the way he kissed her causing her knees to go weak, or in the way he laid her down taking her so softly and with care like no one ever did.

'Not really. It was about when she started to talk about it all, about their anniversary, and kids...,' he said and Vanya blinked surprised since this was the first time Five ever mentioned the topic. Apart from Claire, Vanya used to think Five didn't like kids at all.

'And then she started to ask us, and I felt so weird because well at this point we were acting like it was a sealed deal. Like we just accepted that everyone thought we were married so we were like okay we're married, and that's actually alright. I really like it because I think I would go insane if I had to go around courting you and wonder what's on your mind and how do you feel about me and...I have been doing it for two hours today and it seriously sucked.'

Vanya couldn't help a chuckle, 'Courting? How old are you again?'

'You know how old I am,' he said now sounding a bit annoyed that she was teasing him before she smooth his frustration with her lips against his in a soft and tender kiss, 'Five, you're rambling. Just tell me what you're trying to say, please.'

He sighed and brushed her hair lovingly, 'What I'm trying to say is...I want to marry you for real.'

She titled her head, 'Like in a church or city hall or -'

'Or on a boat, wherever. I...don't make fun of this.'

'I'm not!' she defended herself and pressed a hand against her chest, 'I'm just...surprised a bit. I honestly half thought we would just act like we're already married forever.'

'Me too, but after hearing dean's wife talk today, I don't want people to just think you're my wife,' he brought her hand to his and kissed the back of it lovingly, 'I want them to know you're my wife.'

Vanya watched him for a moment before she said, 'It didn't sound like a question.'

She heard the relieved sigh escaping from his lips, 'Vanya, will you do me the honour of being my wife? For real not just for my co-workers and people in our dinner and my landlord and the cab driver-'

She cut him off with a kiss letting her fingers curl around his hair before she leaned away, 'Yes, Five, I will be honoured to be your wife.'

He put his hand on the back of her neck and brought her closer kissing her forehead in the most sweet and caring and intense way all together, 'I love you so much, Vanya.'

'I love you too.'

When they kissed again, meeting one another half way, it was clear they weren't too tired for a little bit of late night activities after all.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A.N: Thank you all for reading and supporting this. It means a lot. Final chapter will be up tomorrow. If you want leave some feedback. :)


	5. We're Married

Five spared a glance at the little piece of thread which was sticking out the bottom of Vanya's dress. The dress was perfect really apart from the thread. It was ivory and short barely covering her knees when she was sitting. Maybe it would even pass for a simple formal dress with the jacket she put on top of it so she wouldn't stick out to much as they walked to the city hall.

Wedding dress or not, the moment Five told her they had to leave, and she walked out of the bathroom, his heart stopped. It was just a dress, and she looked the same as she did ever day, and yet it was clear it was different. It meant more to know this would be the dress she would wear when she would be taken as his for everyone to know.

He couldn't help but roll his eyes now as he remembered how she was against the dress in the first place saying she would just go with jeans because they were planning to go to work afterwards like it was any other day. She even had the nerves to lie to him saying she didn't want the dress, even though he caught her eyeing it at least a dozen times even before they decided to do this. She argued saying it was nice, but they already said they wouldn't do anything fancy. Of course, he went and bought it for her setting it neatly on the top of the wardrobe door in his apartment not giving her a chance to take it back as he already ripped the price tag. She didn't say anything not even a thank you, but she did turn to him and kissed him making his head spin nevertheless.

Of course they had many plans about this day that turned out differently; the dress was just the first one.

At first they were planning the simplest most uneventful affair imaginable. It made sense since all his co-workers already thought they were married, and Vanya didn't want to get into the whole explaining her situation to her co-workers. They wanted to go to the city hall in front of the judge who would just marry them legally, and then back to work so they wouldn't raise suspicion. Afterwards they would celebrate on their own in Five's apartment where they were now currently spending the most of their time while looking for a bigger apartment for the both of them in the same location.

However, after the dress, Vanya mentioned that maybe it would be more practical if they took a day off so they didn't have to change at work and then explain why they were dressed so fancy. They agreed to take days off and go home afterwards to just enjoy themselves together.

She leaned toward him breaking his road down the memory lane as she kissed his cheek whispering, 'Just two more.'

He nodded nuzzling his nose against the side of her face in the process before his eyes landed on the pesky thread.

He let his finger roll itself around it before he carefully pulled it out.

'Perfectionist,' he heard Vanya's whisper, and he grinned before he lovingly stroked the back of her neck with his fingers. She had her hair curled a little bit and laid out over her shoulder exposing her neck.

'This day already is perfect,' he whispered back to her and the two of them smiled at each other.

Whenever over the years Five thought about getting close with someone on a physical or emotional level who wasn't a part of their family, he felt shaken and his stomach would do a nasty flip not in a good or romantic way. He didn't like to have strangers touch him, and although he assumed he was close with people outside his family like some co-worker, they weren't in no way on the level that he would ever talk with them about anything _deep_. Perhaps it was the years of solitude or maybe just something inside him, but he always felt reserved around people. With his feelings, touches and emotions, or showing that he cared in general.

It should made sense and actually it did that the only person he felt open enough to have such a relationship was someone from his family, Vanya most of all.

Her touches were never intrusive or made him want to cringe, or flinch. Her touches were always soft and caring letting him immediately know that there was nothing to worry about. Even after he knew Vanya was a force of nature which could destroy the world and did most likely two times already, he knew just how strong and deadly she could be, just like him, but with each other, they were soft, caring, loving. With each other they could allow themselves to be all that openly without feeling awkward or bad like they were doing something forced. With each other everything came oddly natural once they accepted the fact that this was them.

But wasn't that how it was supposed to be? When you love someone, all of those things should be amazingly easy, and for Five and Vanya they really were. Loving Vanya was the most natural and easiest thing in the world for Five.

When the door opened dramatically, everyone in the small room turned to look at the noise.

'Ah, I am shocked!' shouted Klaus and Five's hand froze on the back of Vanya's neck.

Diego rolled his eyes and pushed at him probably hissing him to shut the hell up and act decent. Of course he wouldn't be Klaus if he didn't accidentally get tangled in the door with his ridiculously long robe? Whatever the hell he was wearing anyway?

Luckily Ben helped him to untangle.

_This will be a disaster._

He shared a quick look with Vanya as all of their siblings came one by one to the room immediately noticing them and coming to sit next to them, or to the back, or front.

Five closed his eyes already sensing a migraine coming his way as he touched the bridge of his nose.

He felt Vanya slide her hand into his and squeezed it in support as Ben and Allison leaned closer to them from either side, Diego and Klaus turned around to them from the front row and Luther leaned to the front from the backside, all cornering the two soon to be newlyweds.

'What the hell you two?' asked Luther keeping his voice down, 'You're getting married, I find out about it from Klaus?'

'You could at least tell me,' said Allison looking a bit hurt which Five could see was causing Vanya to feel guilty.

'Did something happen? Why the secrecy?' continued Allison stealing Vanya's entire attention.

Five turned to Luther rolling his eyes, 'We didn't tell you or Klaus. We didn't tell anyone. You weren't supposed to know,' he turned back and pointed at Klaus who shrugged his shoulders.

'Ben told me.'

Five turned to his side to Ben who raised his hands, 'I know-I know I shouldn't have told Klaus because he couldn't keep a secret for the life of him. That's on me.'

'No, how did you even find out?' demanded Five his calmness out the window at this point. He should have known this would happen today.

'Diego told me.'

They turned back to the front to look at Diego, 'I saw you in the jewellery shop together. You looked so cosy, I went there afterwards and the clerk said you were the loveliest couple that day and that you bought a wedding ring and band. The rest took some snooping around, but we found out you were planning to get hitched here today.'

Five let go of Vanya's hand and brushed his face in frustration. The last thing he wanted today was to deal with their siblings.

After they had the entire documentation in order, it occurred to Five that they could get their rings as well. It was strange people thought they were married without any rings or wedding bands on their hands, but now it seemed like a proper thing to do. He actually wanted Vanya to have something she could look at and know they were connected like that.

He asked her for hotdogs for lunch so they would have more time to go to the jewellery store. It didn't take long to find something. He should have known Vanya would pick the simplest yet classy piece there which looked lovely on her finger.

When the clerk pulled it out to hand it to her, Five took it instead. He felt ridiculously excited as he took her wrist and put the ring on her finger. It was silly considering how much he touched and kissed over the last couple of weeks in all sorts of places, he shouldn't feel like he was doing something for the first time with her, but it did.

' _I love it,'_ she said with a small smile on her lips as she looked up from the ring at him. It fit her perfectly.

Of course, instead of doing the sane thing like ask them why were they buying rings, Diego snooped around. Then again, it wasn't very sane that they didn't tell them they were getting married in the first place either.

'How come you didn't tell us?'

'We were planning to tell you,' offered Vanya brushing Allison's side in comfort to let her know it wasn't that she personally did not want to tell her.

'When?'

'In a month,' confessed Five crossing his arms not caring that he was being a little shit again, 'We're planning a vacation then anyway.'

'Great, so you would drop the bomb and leave?' asked Klaus and put his hand against his chest, 'I am personally offended. How could you Five? And Vanya? I was not expecting such a backstabbing from you, sister dear.'

'Maybe cool it down with the sibling thing,' said Diego nodding at some lady who was looking at them strangely now.

'Yeah, is it even legal to get married if you're siblings?' asked Ben.

Vanya and Five shared an exhausted look. This was exactly why they tried to avoid bringing their siblings into it. They loved them, but they were a train wreck when they were together.

'Wait a second,' said Allison before she pointed at Vanya, 'When I called you and you said you have dinner plans with someone, that was Five? How long has this been going on?'

Five sighed, 'Well, if you asked my assistant apparently for years.'

'What?' asked Luther confused before they heard the lady at the front call, 'Hargreeves and Hargreeves?' Even she sounded confused by the same name.

They stood up and so did the others.

'Wait, you're not going with-,' started Five but Vanya took his hand. 'Let them.'

He rolled his eyes, 'Seriously the boundaries issues of this family.'

'You're the one to talk, marrying his sister,' mumbled Luther earning an elbow in the stomach from Diego.

Vanya put down her jacket as she and Five stepped in front of the judge. They were originally planned for the people in the room to sign their marriage license as they needed witnesses, but with the others there they decided for them to play rock, paper, scissors who would do the honours. Another thing which turned out completely differently then they planned.

Ben and Allison of course.

Five shook his head annoyed, but Vanya's amused look and the fact that he was marrying her eased his mood immediately back to the original bliss.

They exchanged the wedding rings just for the fun of it, and even let Diego take a couple of pictures of them. They weren't really planning any of those things, but with their siblings it became all too real that this wasn't supposed to be just their thing. It was a family affair after all.

Another thing which they had to postpone was them going home afterwards as now the others wanted to go for lunch in a restaurant Allison already booked a table at.

They ate and drank a bit talking and enjoying themselves. Their siblings even all took their shots in a toast. Surprisingly Diego had to most eye-tearing one.

As Five was sitting with his back against the chair just enjoying the moment with his family and wife, his fingers playing absently with a lose hair on Vanya's neck, he realized he was very glad their family was there with them. He even felt a tiny bit guilty that he didn't want to tell them in the first place.

'Alright but seriously,' started Ben suddenly, 'How long has this been going on because...we want to know.'

'Why does it matter so much?' asked Vanya giggling a bit her hand softly stroking Five's knee, 'You have been asking that like five times already.'

'Well, it's important to know a...a data, a month and year,' added Klaus as he was sitting on his chair with the splat pressed against his chest.

Five leaned back to the table with a suspicious look on his face. Something was fishy.

He looked at each of his siblings. They were good liars. He would give them that, but not _that_ good.

'You guys bet on us getting together, didn't you?' he asked slowly.

The question sparked several types of reactions, a dramatic outburst of _how dare you_ and calm acceptances of defeat _yes_ , a few accusations _it was Klaus's idea_ , and one non-related _does it feel like your kissing a sibling when you two kiss?_

Five groaned. Alright, he definitely made the right call by not wanting to tell his siblings.

Vanya giggled at his side before she pressed her face against his neck, 'Just let them have this.'

He hummed enjoying the sensation of her touch. His whole body reacted to it. He felt ridiculously at peace and happy today. Screw it, he would let them have it for today. There wasn't really anything which could possibly make him hate this day anyway.

'Can I get you anything?' asked the waiter as he came to the table this time making sure to come from Five and Vanya's side as he was afraid Klaus would try to slap his ass again and call him a _cupcake_.

Five turned to Vanya who nodded enthusiastically at her glass.

'Yes, my wife here would like another scotch,' he told the man earning a kiss on the cheek from her.

The waiter wrote it down and around the table to write what the others wanted.

Five turned to look at Vanya with adoration enjoying the look of happiness on her face, the calmness and amusement in her eyes and the pink spread on her cheeks.

'You're my wife.'

She grinned, 'I'm your wife.'

'And I'm your husband,' he said not taking his eyes from her puppy brown ones.

She nodded, 'And you're my husband.'

He leaned toward her and kissed her on the lips for a second just as they heard a camera went off and both grimaced at Diego's direction.

'Screw you both, I wanted a picture,' he said and Five rolled his eyes, 'You're such a softy this time around.'

They started to brick a bit, but in good nature.

Even when it was getting late and Vanya's head was on his shoulder resting, his tie and jacket thrown loosely over his chair and his siblings looking little by little drunk and tired as well, he still felt like it was the happiest day of his life. Despite the horrible sound of Klaus, Diego and Luther singing _White wedding_ or other stupid songs like maniacs, he couldn't feel happier.

It shouldn't mean anything. It was a piece of paper, and 15 minutes in a city hall. It didn't change anything really. They loved each other, they cared for one another more than anyone and anything in the world. They already spent almost all their free time together. They lived together before and acted pretty much the same as now and everyone already thought since then that they were married. Nothing really changed and yet, today felt special. It was a very possessive thought in Five's mind and completely against all his believes since he never cared much for morals or laws before, but he felt pride knowing now everyone would have to know and respect that Vanya was his wife. It was irrational, he knew that but he couldn't help the feeling of _mine_ he felt toward his wife in that moment.

He kissed her hair, 'Ready to go home?'

Vanya hummed in agreement before she raised her head quickly.

'Hey,' she said softly as he helped her up and into her jacket stealing a moment to hug her for from behind, 'We even had our wedding shenanigans today.'

He blinked as she turned around to face him. She wasn't wrong. Their family barging in was definitely as dramatic as most of their family reunions were.

He smirked at her, 'I guess there really isn't such thing as a simple wedding.'

'Not with this family at least,' she winked as the others started to say their goodbyes. Everyone still tried to ask when they started so they could see who won their pool.

He gave them a shiteating grin and led Vanya out of the door to the cab.

The ride home was short, or maybe it was just because they knew they would have to go to work tomorrow, it felt like it ended all too quickly.

As he opened the door to his apartment however, he stopped her, 'Wait. I want to carry you?'

She chuckled, 'What? You're drunk.'

He knew she didn't mean it, since they both knew Klaus and him were sober for a very long time now.

'No, I want to carry you over the threshold,' he told her looking all serious.

Vanya gave him a look before she chuckled again, her delightful mood not completely blamed on the alcohol.

_God, I love her so much._

'Alright, just don't drop me,' she said as she put her arms around his neck before he lifted her up making sure he wouldn't damage her dress.

'A little bit of faith, wifey,' he said and carefully taking his sweet time as he liked how nicely she fit in his arms he carried her inside. He didn't let her go as he easily closed the door after them and walked her to the their bedroom, where they momentarily paused looking at the bed covered in red rose leaves in the shape of a heart on the bed and a note glued to the wardrobe with the message: _The shampane is the fridge. Love, A._

Vanya buried her face against his neck, 'Now I feel bad for not inviting them.'

'Don't. We knew they would probably show up anyway,' he told her and kissed her cheek.

She looked back at him with a smile, 'I was like thirty percent sure they would, but still.'

'Really? I would go for seventy,' he said sounding serious before they both chuckled and he a bit unwillingly sat her down, but kept his hands on her waists as she had hers around his neck.

Neither of let go for a moment before he started to lightly swing her from side to side dancing to the music of their own heartbeats.

'I love you,' he said calmly looking into her eyes.

'You should, I'm your wife,' she said as a matter of fact, and he chuckled and nodded sort of expecting something like that before she tiptoed and pulled him closer to her kissing him tenderly on the lips.

'I love you too.'

'You should,' he said making her giggle, 'Because we're married.'

'Yes, we are.'

She pressed her face against his chest, and he continued to dance with her close like this to the sound of their heartbeats and the silence of the night.

* * *

**The End**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A.N: There done, all of this is out of my system :D no more left of this, sorry :(. Hope you liked this anyway. It was always meant to be just light, sugary, nice and fluffy and all the nice things so I hope I delivered it. I seriously wasn't expecting people to want more after the first chapter, but since you did I thought alright just one more, and one more and well :D so they were five. I am hyped that you like this story so much and grateful for the support you showed it :) I hope the last chapter did it justice as well :) If you want leave some feedback, but I am grateful for even finding the time, energy or will to read my stories. Thank you

**Author's Note:**

> A.N: Hey there, it’s like 2a.m here don’t judge me. This came to me literally today and I decided to write it down because why not? :D Hope you liked it. It wanted to write something light today anyway so here it is :) and yes, with that I am hinting angst and stress in my other stories -_- :D


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